Healthy nutrition 2: how to lose weight
Hi!
Since I posted about healthy nutrition and staying slim I have had quite a lot of comments so I decided to discuss this issue and my experiences a bit further today.
A lot of people tell me they are envious of my thinness (I am not really thin, I just have very long arms and legs in comparison to my rather round body; I used to think of myself as a spider with a round body and limbs sticking in all directions) and that they want to lose weight. But then when I see what they actually do, they are not contributing to their own goal. I used to have a colleague who complained that she did not eat very much but was unable to lose the extra kgs. But whenever I saw her eating it was something very fatty. Then I used to have another colleague who was on a diet, so she would skip breakfast (BAD idea! All kind of research points to that a good breakfast is key to maintaining health and a good weight) and then of course by 11 o'clock she would start feeling faint and then she would take an energy drink :) to feel better and then it would be lunch with lots of rice, chicken and sauce, or even worse, a fried pastry, combined with a pop soda. No need to say she never lost those kilos.
I have a friend who is a nutritionist and she tells me that one of the worst foods, which is gobbled up by the liters by dieters, is fruit yoghurts and fruit yoghurt drinks. They combine acid with sugar, which is even very bad for your teeth!
Many foods contain masses of sugar without you knowing it. I bought a granola the other day in a hurry, which stated in large letters on the front: No sugar added! and then my husband said he found it too sweet and when we checked the ingredients: voila! High fructose corn syrup, one of the greatest bandits in sugarland. Although it allows the manufacturer to claim they haven't added sugar, it contains more carbs than plain sugar. Yet it is added to so many foods you wouldn't believe it. Always check out the ingredient list!
One of the rules which I have is that I never drink anything with any calories in it (as with all rules, they sometimes get broken) and I have even stopped adding milk to my tea. As a matter of fact I now only drink organic green or white tea. Not because of the calories, but I have found out that milk actually is not good for your stomach. Your stomach is naturally acid (HCl) and milk is alkaline. When you drink milk, your stomach has to produce more acid to counter the alkaline, and if you keep this up you'll end up with heartburn. Drinking a glass of milk is not a problem in itself; your stomach handles all kinds of acids and alkalines during the course of the day. But drinking large quantities of milk may upset your natural balance. Some people have "iron" stomachs. I used to, but now that I am older I am getting more sensitive. I have had heartburn for about a year and I have found that eliminating milk simply means no heartburn. Instead, for like 2 years ago we started making "lemon water": adding lemon slices to a can of water and keeping it in the fridge; we change it every other day. In the morning I take half boiling water and half lemon water; this gives me the right warm temperature, like tea. (In Sweden you don't want to drink cold water, at least not first thing in the morning!:)
Did I mention that I don't drink coffee at all? I only drink tea, and not even black tea. I used to drink rooibos tea because of the health benefits, but I grew to loathe the taste. Otherwise I drink organic green tea, white tea and various herbal teas. But to be honest, as in breaking any rule, I sometimes drink a cup of hot chocolate at work. Just not very often, sometimes not for many weeks. And I do drink a glass of red wine most days together with my husband while we discuss the day, not for its supposed or not health benefits on which there is a new contradictory report in the news every month, but just because I like it.
I think dieting is a wrong concept. It may work for some people to get down in weight fast so they are motivated to keep to that weight. But in my experience every person that I know that has been dieting bounces back. Also keep in mind that as soon as you start losing fat, a chemical substance called ketone is released from the breakdown of fat and that is similar to acetone, which you produce after drinking too much alcohol. So you literally feel like you have a hangover. Not to mention that your body, which has not yet fully evolved from our hunter/gatherer past, immediately panics and thinks you are starving and stamps on the brakes, slowing your metabolism and hindering you from losing more weight!
No, I think the way to go is change your lifestyle. On the input side some suggestions:
And then the output side, which is at least as important:
Since I posted about healthy nutrition and staying slim I have had quite a lot of comments so I decided to discuss this issue and my experiences a bit further today.
A lot of people tell me they are envious of my thinness (I am not really thin, I just have very long arms and legs in comparison to my rather round body; I used to think of myself as a spider with a round body and limbs sticking in all directions) and that they want to lose weight. But then when I see what they actually do, they are not contributing to their own goal. I used to have a colleague who complained that she did not eat very much but was unable to lose the extra kgs. But whenever I saw her eating it was something very fatty. Then I used to have another colleague who was on a diet, so she would skip breakfast (BAD idea! All kind of research points to that a good breakfast is key to maintaining health and a good weight) and then of course by 11 o'clock she would start feeling faint and then she would take an energy drink :) to feel better and then it would be lunch with lots of rice, chicken and sauce, or even worse, a fried pastry, combined with a pop soda. No need to say she never lost those kilos.
I have a friend who is a nutritionist and she tells me that one of the worst foods, which is gobbled up by the liters by dieters, is fruit yoghurts and fruit yoghurt drinks. They combine acid with sugar, which is even very bad for your teeth!
Many foods contain masses of sugar without you knowing it. I bought a granola the other day in a hurry, which stated in large letters on the front: No sugar added! and then my husband said he found it too sweet and when we checked the ingredients: voila! High fructose corn syrup, one of the greatest bandits in sugarland. Although it allows the manufacturer to claim they haven't added sugar, it contains more carbs than plain sugar. Yet it is added to so many foods you wouldn't believe it. Always check out the ingredient list!
tripleclicks.comOne of the rules which I have is that I never drink anything with any calories in it (as with all rules, they sometimes get broken) and I have even stopped adding milk to my tea. As a matter of fact I now only drink organic green or white tea. Not because of the calories, but I have found out that milk actually is not good for your stomach. Your stomach is naturally acid (HCl) and milk is alkaline. When you drink milk, your stomach has to produce more acid to counter the alkaline, and if you keep this up you'll end up with heartburn. Drinking a glass of milk is not a problem in itself; your stomach handles all kinds of acids and alkalines during the course of the day. But drinking large quantities of milk may upset your natural balance. Some people have "iron" stomachs. I used to, but now that I am older I am getting more sensitive. I have had heartburn for about a year and I have found that eliminating milk simply means no heartburn. Instead, for like 2 years ago we started making "lemon water": adding lemon slices to a can of water and keeping it in the fridge; we change it every other day. In the morning I take half boiling water and half lemon water; this gives me the right warm temperature, like tea. (In Sweden you don't want to drink cold water, at least not first thing in the morning!:)
I think dieting is a wrong concept. It may work for some people to get down in weight fast so they are motivated to keep to that weight. But in my experience every person that I know that has been dieting bounces back. Also keep in mind that as soon as you start losing fat, a chemical substance called ketone is released from the breakdown of fat and that is similar to acetone, which you produce after drinking too much alcohol. So you literally feel like you have a hangover. Not to mention that your body, which has not yet fully evolved from our hunter/gatherer past, immediately panics and thinks you are starving and stamps on the brakes, slowing your metabolism and hindering you from losing more weight!
No, I think the way to go is change your lifestyle. On the input side some suggestions:
- -Keep an eating diary for a while before you start making changes. You might be surprised how much and how often you actually eat.
- Cut out the soft drinks totally. I don't drink diet drinks generally, but if you really crave that cola, make it diet coke. It is just as bad for your health in total but at least no calories.
- -Limit the cookies and the cake which a colleague brought for her birthday to once a week, or only take a very small piece.
- -Cut out the french fries, the rice with sauce, the dressing on the salad, the potatoes with gravy. Or at least halve the portion. Or limit them to once a week if you eat like that daily. Don't eat pasta more than once a week.
- -Increase the number of veggies in all your meals so you will still feel satisfied.
- -Cut out the sweets and candy.
- -Replace white bread with full grain.
- -Replace cheese with lean meat or low-fat cream cheese (I use this as butter).
- -Eat a healthy breakfast with fruits, plain yoghurt and nuts.
- -Cook with extra virgin olive oil instead of butter or fat (but butter is still much healthier than margarine or other trans fats.
- -Eat more fish and seafood instead of meat.
- -Avoid sausages; they generally contain a lot of fat, a lot of preservatives and coloring, and a lot of inferior meat. Eat lean meat instead such as chicken breast, turkey breast etc.
- -Go vegetarian once a week.
- -Eliminate the sugar and milk from your coffee or tea. Go herbal.
- -Change your lunch from a sandwich or warm food to a soup and/or a salad.
- -When eating salads choose an all-veggie salad rather than a pasta salad and avoid dressings unless it's homemade based on plain yoghurt.
- -When you have done something great, do not reward yourself with food. Pamper yourself with a nice foot cream, a rejuvenating toner, or a lovely body butter (my favorites are Mandarin and Moringa, so far) instead. Or a new lipstick. Anything but food.
- -Throw away your scales. Scales are for fish. Your weight is totally unimportant. You'll know when you look in the mirror whether you look healthier and fitter. You need to lose fat, not weight.
And then the output side, which is at least as important:
- -If you can't manage an hour of exercise, take a 10- or 15- minute program like I have here on this blog. The best kind of exercise is the one that gets done. Choose high-intensity exercises.
- -While you are cooking you can do some standing/balancing exercises.
- -You can do exercises while you are sitting at the computer. I will soon provide a post specifically on this.
- -Find a type of exercise which suits you. It is no use taking up running if you dislike it, or go to the gym if you hate it. Try out different sports. You may be surprised!
- -Find a friend and agree on some type of exercise. It is easier to keep to a routine that way. (The only risk is that if the friend doesn't go, you also might not go.....be careful when picking friends).
- -Whenever you can, walk instead of taking the car or the bus. Or cycle. That might be more often than you realize.
- -If you can't run, walk. A daily walk is excellent exercise, easy to realize and a good way to start your new healthier you.
- -Keep a record of all your exercise. This helps to motivate you.
- -Don't expect a weekly or biweekly hour-long workout to get you slimmer. It will certainly make you healthier and fitter and contribute to a higher metabolism, but you do need to combine it with less input if you think you need to lose body fat.
- -Print out this blog, yellow-highlight the items which are relevant to you, cut them out and put them somewhere you can see them every day. Remove them as soon as they are done (or even better, check them or strike them through so you can see your achievements).
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